Cecil Driver

July 2, 1923 - February 5, 2005

Cecil Driver, a loyal Virginian, grew up in Brink but retired in Blacksburg. He was drafted by the military while at Wake Forest College, but returned later to earn a Bachelors Degree. He received his Masters Degree at the University of Michigan and a doctorate at the University of Southern California. He and his Scottish-born, American-naturalized wife had 3 children.

His military life meant joining General MacArthur’s Honor Guard at the end of WWII, and later serving in the Korean War where he was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for capturing “Old Baldy”. In taking the hill, Sgt. Driver cleverly used his helmet over a foxhole to first attract fire from a North Korean machine gun nest, then later while rushing up the hill and toward the nest wounded himself with shrapnel from throwing his own hand grenade at the North Korean soldiers manning the machine gun who were then sent scurrying back down the other side of the hill.

Cecil’s 38 years of teaching with DoDDS took him to Germany, France, England, and Norway. During this time he held various positions with the OEA, with the National Education Association (NEA), and working with the US Congress: Building Representative, Chairman of the Legislative Committee, President of OEA, Executive Secretary and OEA Director, NEA Board of Directors, US House (Congressional) Education Committee. Cecil was honored by 2 US presidents, President’s Johnson and Carter, while being presented with the Bell Award for outstanding education leadership.

In retirement he wrote “The Law That Would Not Die” – a history of his instrumental role in securing a more equitable salary scale for DoDDS teachers and the resolution of the back pay issue that had been under debate for 15 years. He will be remembered with gratitude for his efforts on behalf of all DoDDS teachers.